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by nicodiver
Summary: Trapped between the planes of Life and Death, Ben Solo is all alone. That is, until he is greeted by a familiar face from the past who has some things to tell him.


Ben woke up to silence. Complete and still silence. The voices that had haunted his mind for so many years were now gone. They were silent. His mind felt like his own and for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Ben felt _free _. Free of his burden of making his grandfather proud, free of acting as the supreme leader of the First Order. He wasn't Kylo Ren anymore, he was just Ben. Ben Solo. Ben Skywalker.

He stared into what he saw as darkness, but he wasn't sure. Everything around him was pitch black and without life. He didn't feel anything in the Force. The Jedi power only resonated with him, but it didn't tell him of any presence nearby; it was just empty. Empty around him, empty inside him. But something had made him _feel _something, just a couple of minutes ago… or someone? Ben wasn't sure, and the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. He rose on trembling legs, not recognizing his body, it feeling frail and weak. Maybe it was all those years of hard work, repeatedly pushing his body to the limit of possibility that had finally took its toll on him.

_It serves me right_, he thought gloomily as he finally steadied, looking around. Where was he? And why wasn't anyone else here? Was he out here all alone?

He looked around, wondering where everyone, _anyone, _was. His hand reached out, touching an invisible wall of glass. He looked through it. He thought he saw something on the other side, but he wasn't sure. Anger rushed through him. Why couldn't he remember where he was? Why couldn't he remember anything? The fear of unknowing overcame him and it scared him. Fear wasn't something he was used to feeling. It felt odd, weird… The rush of his pulse and the growing lump in his throat made him nauseous.

"Hello?", he called out to the thick darkness.

No one replied. No one could hear him. Ben sagged to the black floor, suddenly exhausted. He was kneeled, his hand still resting on the glass as he gazed to the other side.

Out of nowhere, on the other side, a shape appeared in the distance. At first he thought it was someone from the First Order coming to hunt him down, but with a closer look and a warm feeling sent through the Force, he realised it was someone kind.  
The shape came closer, walking slowly towards him with steady steps. His Force met with the shape's Force and he drew a short breath.

It was his uncle. Master Luke. Luke Skywalker.

Ben's heart made an irregular beat against his ribs as Luke stopped before him on the other side of the glass, his expression kind. He had a ghostly aura around him, showing that he was a Force ghost.

_Ben _, came Luke's voice, calm and collected as always, but this time without the harsh tone of a master training their padawan. Ben gazed at his uncle, shocked. He couldn't believe Luke was visiting him here, in this hollow and empty place.

_You have come such a long way, Ben. And I'm so very proud of you_, Luke told him, his lips forming into a warm smile.

Ben just looked at his uncle, not knowing what to say or do. How could Luke be proud of him, when he was a part of the Dark Side? When he was Kylo Ren? When he was… a murderer? He gulped, trying to find the right words to say, to apologize, to excuse himself, to tell him how sorry he was… but Luke only looked at him, his blue eyes gentle as he gazed at his sister's son.

_You don't have to apologize, Ben. I know you were struggling. I know your hardships. I know your pain. You have done many bad things, but from bad things, good things may come , too , but only if your heart is open to it. And the bad things, they are over for you now, my young padawan. You are not a part of the Dark Side anymore and you shouldn't think of yourself being part of it. You have proved and redeemed yourself. That's why I'm proud of you. _

Luke's hand reached out and landed against Ben's, still rested against the glass that separated them. Ben drew another breath when he felt Luke's Force flow into him, singing through his blood, filling him with warmth and love. For a moment, Ben thought he was going to pass out from the overflow, but he managed to stay awake, staring into his uncle's eyes.

_That's why I'm bestowing this gift upon you, Ben, so that you can continue to grow among the living, and not remain stuck here in the plane between Life and Death. And I do this out of love. From your father, from your mother and from me, _Luke said solemnly, and with the warmest smile Ben had ever seen.

"Uncle, n-no, y-you… you will be gone! I c-can't take your place! Not after everything I've done, please! You cannot do this!" Ben urged his uncle, panic growing inside him, making his heart thump like a frightened bird against his ribs. He tried to pry his hand away from the glass, but Luke's Force was too strong, it held their joined hands securely in place.

Luke cracked a grin. A soft chuckle came out of him as he shook his head from side to side. _Who do you take your uncle for, Ben? I'm not going anywhere. I still have lots to teach you, but you need my help to get away from here. Accept my gift, open yourself to my Force , Ben. Make it your own and you will find someone else waiting for you on the other side. _

A crease came over Ben's forehead. Someone was waiting for him? Who could that be? He glanced over at Luke's face and saw that he was smiling again.

_You don't remember? Let me help you with that too, then_, he said, grinning, and with his free hand, he poked Ben's forehead through the glass, showing him his encounter with Rey, the last Jedi, on Endor's moon.

She fought with Emperor Palpatine, killing him off with her powers resulting in killing herself in the process. He saw himself climbing the cliff, desperately finding his way back up so he could save her. He had felt through the Force that she was weak and almost gone. The moment he had reached her, she had already passed away without his reach. He had taken her into his arms, holding her tight for a few moments before he began to heal her, just as she had healed him.

They were the two sides of the same coin; a dyad in the Force, meant to hurt and heal each other. He had put every ounce of his Force into her, his body shivering and aching from exhaustion when her cheeks finally bloomed with a red blush, proving to him she was alive again.

She smiled at him, shocked that when she gazed into his eyes, he had smiled back at her. She leaned toward him and pulled him into a kiss, sweet and tender, yet passionate. It was filled with everything they'd gone through together; hate, love, passion, resentment… filled with a promise they would finally be together.

Then, he felt himself go slack in her arms, and his mind was finally quiet for the first time in years.

_You see now, Ben, why you must go back? _Luke asked him as he was pulled back into the present.

Ben's breathing was ragged, mind spinning. His free hand went to his cheeks, feeling the wetness only tears could bring. He was crying, and for the first time, he didn't feel like a failure in doing so.

He nodded slowly to Luke's question, his shocked expression turning into a smile as he let his uncle's Force fill him completely. It sang through his blood and limbs, filling him with love and affection something he'd craved his whole life, and finally received in that moment.

The next time Ben woke, he was on his knees in warm sand, an echo of Luke's Force still within him. He looked around the light filled area with squinted eyes, surprised by the warmth that filled him both on the outside and the inside. The two suns shone bright against his pale face, but he didn't mind, instead he welcomed the light and warmth.

And that was when he saw her. Rey. She stood just a couple of inches from him, her beautiful face scrunched in a frown. As she gazed at him, shock and happiness suddenly came over her face. She called out his name, tears bursting from her eyes as she used the Force to jump towards him, knocking Ben back into the sand, his back landing in the sand with a soft thud.

A joyful beeping came from her droid as it noticed his return and it closed in on them, followed by a doglike droid Ben hadn't seen before.

Ben embraced Rey tightly into his arms, burying his face into the side of her soft neck, tears falling down his cheeks, too. They were together again, the dyad in the Force reunited. Ben pressed his lips against Rey's, soft and tender, his hands cupping her cheeks as their kiss deepened.

_I'm home_, he thought to her through their joined bond, and she nodded, her smile cracking against his lips, strands of her hair tickling his cheeks.

_Finally_, she thought back. Rey slowly broke their kiss, her blue eyes gazing into his brown ones as she pulled away. Ben's fingers brushed her jaw and she smiled at him.

"You said you'd take Ben's hand," he said softly, feeling her love for him singing through the Force. "Will you?" he asked, offering his hand, his love, to her. Rey's hand came to rest on his chest, Ben's heart thumping quick against her palm.

"I do," she told him, a tear rolling down her cheek as their lips joined together again, their hands laced together atop his heart.


End file.
